Amsterdam is known as “the Venice of the North” because of its more than one hundred kilometers of canals. The city has about ninety islands and fifteen hundred bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, which were dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city. The canal ring and surrounding area were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.

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